It was a gray day in February when I'm driving on the NJ Turnpike and notice a billboard proclaiming the NY Area Gem and Mineral Show would be coming in May. Suddenly the clouds parted and the Sun shone through - at least in my mind! A Gem and Mineral Show! I didn't even know they held them in my area. I was definitely going!

Flash forward to May and I'm on that road again, but I'm exhausted from a cold (why are they always worse in the spring?) and was running to pick up my son and head home to bed. Out of the corner of my eye I caught that billboard and realized the show was happening that day. I spend a lot of time on that stretch of road and had ceased to notice it. It had become part of the background of everyday life - like so many things do - and the show had just gone off my radar. I briefly considered my situation. I was sick and my budget did not allow for any extra activities. I was definitely not going!

And yet, about an hour later - despite my very practical conviction - I'm walking into the show. The first thing that struck me was the energy. You could literally feel the thousands of crystals in that hall running through your body. It was as if an electrical charge started at my feet and just ran all the way to my head. It took me a moment to catch my breath and ground myself before I could walk. In front of me was a row of every kind of Amethyst that you can imagine; to my left at least 100 feet of Clear Quartz crystals - some bigger than my cat (and I have a big cat!) and beyond, just row upon row of crystals, meteorites, and fossils. Every crystal imaginable was in that hall from Quartz to Tourmaline to Agate to Tektites to Wulfenite. There were cathedrals, spheres, wands, slices and beads. As one seller handed me a huge Rutilated Quartz so that I could feel its energy, I thought this must be heaven.

We met some wonderful people that day, saw (and felt) many beautiful crystals - some that I've never seen before like a Blood Calcite - and brought home a few new additions for my collection. Among them an Apatite that, after I walked away from, I literally heard whimper like a puppy until I went back and brought it home with me- where it quite clearly belongs!

I was reminded of something very important that day. Something that - much like the show - I had forgotten about. Never let anything get in the way of doing those things that bring you joy! Colds get better and you can always manifest some leeway in your budget but you can never get back a passed opportunity to have some fun - or spend time with crystals!